


Portland '88

by BeveStuscemi



Series: Before There Was Hell [3]
Category: Silent Hill (Video Game Series)
Genre: Attempted Kidnapping, Gen, Panic, Pre-SH3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-05
Updated: 2017-09-05
Packaged: 2018-12-24 08:45:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12009192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeveStuscemi/pseuds/BeveStuscemi
Summary: The man, Harry Mason of Portland, was arrested at eight twenty-five pm after murdering Pete Reed, a Silent Hill local who allegedly attempted to kidnap Mason's daughter. Police are ruling it as an act of self-defence and state that Mason will most likely be acquitted of any charges brought against him.





	Portland '88

“Hi there!”  
Cheryl froze, grip tight on her doll. She slowly turned around and saw a man leaning on the fence of her back garden. He looked friendly, large smile and eyes bright with excitement. Cheryl returned a smile because it was rude not to.  
“Hello.” She said this in the hope the man would be on his way, but he continued to stand behind the fence, slim fingers gripping the wood.  
“My name’s Pete, what’s yours?”  
Cheryl shifted uncomfortably. Daddy would be upset if her caught her talking to strangers but she also didn’t want to upset the man by ignoring him.  
“I’m Cheryl.” She ran her spare hand through the blades of grass, giving herself an excuse not to look at the man.  
“It’s nice to meet you Cheryl, I’m sure glad we’re friends now.” This relaxed her a little, the man was clearly harmless and just wanted to make friends. She looked up from the grass and back at the man who was still smiling.  
“Say Cheryl, I’m new to this town and I’m a little bit lost. Would you happen to know where the nearest store is?”  
Cheryl paused. She’d been the store loads with her daddy and she knew the route off by heart. “Yeah,” She began. “Keep going down this road and then go down the road with the house that has a big, red door.”  
Pete frowned and scratched his head. “Aww, I’m not too good at following directions, Cheryl. I think you might have to come outside and show me.”  
Cheryl’s heart began to pump a little bit faster and she squeezed her doll harder. The sun was starting to set and the sky was becoming darker, the navy blue and purple slowly melting into the azure summer sky. The street lamps had now been illuminated across her street and less cars were on the road. Even with a friend, it didn’t feel safe.

“I don’t think I can do that,” Cheryl began slowly, twirling her doll’s hair. “I can go get my daddy to help you, he’s inside.”  
The man shook his head indignantly. “No. Don’t get your daddy.”  
Cheryl tilted her head, confused. “Why not?”  
“He might be angry.” Pete pointed at her house, finger aimed at the kitchen window. “I think he’s fallen asleep on the sofa, he might be angry if you wake him up.” Pete sighed and removed his fingers from the fence. “It’s okay if you can’t help me, Cheryl. It’s just that me and Dot are so _tired_ of walking.”  
Cheryl perked up at the name Dot. “Who’s Dot?”  
Pete gave a small, sad smile. “Dot’s my little puppy. He’s very tired because of all the walking and he wants to just go to the store and get some treats.”  
“What kind of puppy is it?” Cheryl stood up on her toes to get a closer look but the fence was too tall for her to look over.  
“He’s a Dalmatian. A spotty dog.”  
She squealed and clapped her hands. “Just like in the movie!”  
“Yeah!” Pete exclaimed. “I’ve got an idea, Cheryl. If you show me how to get to the store, I’ll let you walk Dot!”  
“Really?” Cheryl could barely contain her excitement and she bounced happily on the grass.  
“Sure, Cheryl! Just show me where the store is and you can meet Dot!”

Cheryl threw her doll on the floor and rushed over to the gate, jumping up to knock the drop lock off. Once the lock was opened, she pulled the gate open and ran onto the pavement outside her house. The road was empty, though a solitary black car was parked at the end of the street, leading back onto the main road. Pete stood by the fence, arm resting on one of the panels. He looked scruffier than Cheryl imagined, with dirty, scuffed boots and a torn black anorak with a hole in the sleeve. She inspected his feet and looked up, unsure.  
“Where’s your dog?”  
Pete turned around and looked down the road. “Oh no! I think Dot must have ran away! We’ve got to be quick Cheryl, we need to find him!” Pete ushered her down towards the main road, away from the direction of the store and Cheryl felt more and more reluctant to follow him.  
“I don’t want to…”  
Pete raised his eyebrows in shock. “You don’t want to? But what about Dot? Something might happen to him.”  
She shook her head and thick black hair fell into her face. “I’m going back home.”

A sudden force dragged her forward and Pete tugged on her arm, pulling her down the road. She grabbed onto one of the fence panels with her other hand and tried to fight back but he was larger, stronger and more powerful than she was.  
“Come on, Cheryl!”  
“NO!” She was crying now, clinging onto the fence with all of her strength. He pulled her again and she cut open her hand from the rough wood, blood trickling down to her jumper.  
“DADDY!” She was beyond hysteric, kicking and screaming before Pete placed his hand over her mouth and pushed her forward. She pulled back, trying to hit Pete in the ribs before he lost his temper and picked her up, hand still over her mouth and arm holding her legs.  
“Calm down, it’ll be easier if you stop struggling!” He hissed this into her ear and for the first time in her life, Cheryl felt pure fear. She attempted to kick out but the weight of his arm was too much and she felt her breathing quicken and adrenaline pumping in her temples.  
Her tears obscured her view and the world became a blurred, frantic distortion of colours and shapes, the only object she could clearly make out was the black car which was coming closer and closer…  
Wrestling a five-year-old girl, Pete shoved his key into the vehicle and Cheryl’s muffled screams became louder and more desperate. He struggled to steady her as he opened the vehicle’s trunk and he rummaged frantically before producing some tape. He managed to cover her mouth with it before grabbing onto her arms, holding them tightly in a painful grip before dropping her into the trunk.  
His friendly mask had crumbled and he now stood over Cheryl, snarling as he held her down, hand pushing down onto her chest and rendering her motionless. She continued to kick against the car, trying her hardest to aim for Pete. She couldn’t see anything. Her eyes were too wet to find Pete’s body, the car trunk too dark to see anything else. There was nothing she could do.  
“ _Stay still...”_ Pete’s hand was on the car trunk, knuckles white. He was going to close it. _He was going to close it._

There’s a thud. An unmistakable sound of flesh on flesh and in her peripheral vision, Pete collapses onto the road beneath them. Hands, soft yet strong, lift her out of the trunk and she’s suddenly looking into the same blue eyes she’s saw for her entire life. He pulls the tape off her mouth and she takes a large inhale of air before crying once more. He holds her close, running away from the car.  
“ _It’s okay, daddy’s here now.”_  
She hid in his neck, arms still bound but legs wrapped around his chest. She can feel him shaking as he sprints back to the garden but when she looks up, Pete is close behind them.  
“DADDY!”  
Pete jumps, rope taut and around Harry’s neck. He drops Cheryl and she lands back on the sidewalk, a deer in headlights. He fights with the rope, hands pushing it further from his throat.  
“RUN!”  
She can’t move, she’s frozen, watching Pete attempt to murder her father. The rope’s around his neck again and splotches of pink form where it has broken blood vessels. Harry relents and feels for his jacket pocket while Pete’s chokehold becomes more violent. He produces the kitchen knife and plunges it deep into Pete’s shoe. He screams, letting go of the rope and giving Harry just enough time to pull the knife back out before blindly slashing at his leg.  
“CHERYL, GO!” She finally runs, her small feet hitting the sidewalk as she races back to the garden, back to safety. Pete leans on a lamppost, blood pooling in his boot.  
“You called her Cheryl again?”  
Harry breathes heavily, lungs desperate for oxygen and mind racing. He starts to understand.  
“How many Cheryl’s are you prepared to lose, Mason?”  
Harry sees red. He curls his fist and punches the man, hard enough to break his nose and scarlet blood drips down like a faucet. Pete throws his own punch, hitting Harry in the jaw. He can’t feel the pain, adrenaline has taken over. He hits Pete again but is caught mid-throw and is wrestled to the ground, Pete shifting his entire weight over him. The knife has been knocked out of his hand and he strains to reach it as Pete hits the side of his face. He reaches for Pete’s eyes, praying that his nails might scratch the pupil and blind him temporarily. Pete moves backwards, dodges the attack and they move ever so slightly. This is Harry’s only chance. He grabs the knife and sticks it deep into Pete’s neck. He splutters and coughs, blood trailing down his pale neck and dripping onto Harry’s face before he’s pushed off and left to die on the sidewalk.

Harry closes his eyes, chest pounding and breathing uneven. When he opens them, he’s greeted by Cheryl and the sound of police sirens drawing closer to the scene.  
He staggers upwards and pulls Cheryl close to him, blood still clinging to his face.  
“ _I’m sorry._ ” It’s barely audible, but Harry can hear it and he can feel the sorrow.  
“ _I know, sweetheart. But it’s okay, daddy’s here_.”


End file.
